Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced a phased plan to build permanent homes for families living in slum settlements in Haiderpur, in the Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency, with the tender process for the first phase already under way.
Gupta made the announcement on Thursday after inaugurating a free mega health check-up camp at the Ayurvedic Hospital in Haiderpur under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’. She also interacted with residents during the programme and outlined the proposed housing and civic infrastructure work for the area.
The first phase will cover residents of the settlements in the AU Block and AO Block areas. According to the announcement, the government has begun the tender process for housing construction and identified locations around these settlements. Construction work is expected to begin after the process is completed.
The second phase will include the settlements around the Ayurvedic Hospital. The government is looking for suitable land in the surrounding area for this phase, the chief minister said. No specific number of homes, construction timeline, eligibility criteria or project cost was provided in the report.
Gupta said the government’s objective was not to remove residents but to improve their living conditions. She said no slum would be demolished for the development work in the area. The announcement did not provide details on the ownership model, rehabilitation arrangements, allotment process or whether residents would be moved temporarily during construction.
Alongside the housing plan, the government said several basic services were being developed or provided in Haiderpur. These include new toilets, water ATMs, an Atal Canteen, new sewer lines, water pipelines and street lights. The report did not specify the implementing agencies, funding sources or completion schedules for these works.
The health camp launched at the Ayurvedic Hospital offered health examinations and medical consultations at one location. Gupta said the government wanted health services to be available closer to citizens rather than being limited to hospitals, so residents would not have to travel between facilities for basic care.
The chief minister also said land measuring about 5,000 square yards had been made available for a new school serving students up to Class 12. A tender has been issued for a community building, while construction of a new Chhath ghat is under way along the area’s canal. An Ayushman Arogya Mandir has also opened in Haiderpur, and the government plans to develop a ‘Nirog Dham’ with both Ayurvedic and allopathic health facilities.
The next formal milestones for the housing plan are the completion of the first-phase tender process, identification of construction sites and the start of work for eligible residents in the AU and AO Block settlements. Further details on eligibility, project design, funding and timelines were not included in the announcement.
